PHARMACOGNOSTIC STUDY OF ZIZIPHUS MAURITIANA LAM. (RHAMNACEAE)

Objective: To study the preliminary and pharmacognostic characteristics of Ziziphus mauritiana Lam., harvested in Côte d’Ivoire. Identify the drug by anatomy and histochemistry. Method: Macroscopic and microscopic study of the fresh and dry drug and determination of physicochemical parameters. Results: Tree, shrub or bush, 16 m long, 5 m or 4 m, Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. Has bending branches with rounded tops. Its fairly cracked bark is gray or brown, then pale red. The oval or sub-orbicular leaves are alternate and petiolate from 4 mm to 5 mm. The limb, dark green in color, is polished on the upper side and whitish and then densely tomentose on the lower side. The anatomo-histological cut of the limb showed a median rib slightly curved on the upper surface and strongly bulging on the lower side and a broader limb. Each epidermis consisted of small, visible cells more or less rectangular, is covered with a cuticle, outer lipoidal covering; impermissive and resistant, giving it a protective role. The cross-section of the stem, revealed a quadrangular shape, has two distinct zones: the bark and the central cylinder. The less developed bark comprises of 4 tissues (cuticle, epidermis, collenchyma and cortical parenchyma). The central cylinder, more developed than the bark, is composed of primary tissues (bone, wood, medullary parenchyma, sclerenchyma, and perimedullary fiber). The sclerenchyma occurs in small clusters around the conductive system. Conclusion: Pharmacognostic analysis and physicochemical characteristics can help in the efficient utilization of this medicinal plant.